Ex-Bear Rivera To Coach Panthers

According to multiple reports, former Bears’ linebacker and defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will be named the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Reports surfaced on Monday that the Panthers were calling other candidates and telling them that the team decided to go in a different direction, and that Rivera did well in his interview.

The various reports on Tuesday come from Aaron Wilson, of the National Football Post, who says that Rivera “has been hired,” and from Adam Schefter, of ESPN, who reports that the sides are “putting finishing touches on the contract.” The team has yet to make an announcement.

Rivera was a member of the 1985 Bears and was also the first Puerto Rican/Mexican to play in the NFL, after the Bears drafted him in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft.

After running the Bears’ defense from 2004-06, the Bears didn’t renew his contract and Rivera moved on to the San Diego Chargers, where he was named the defensive coordinator 2008.